Freshie Adventures

Hi! Since there are a lot of you lovies asking about Megaworld – I decided to create a new blog about the company. Here we go!

Just a little update after the interview:

July 2016

After 3 weeks of dreadful waiting for Megaworld to call me, they finally did! One of the assistant of the Senior Assistant Vice President (SAVP) of the Contracts and Procurement Department – Purchasing called me up and scheduled me for the Final Interview. I was interviewed by my manager-to-be since the SAVP was at a meeting that day. It was a quick introduction on what my job would be and disclosure of the final offer of salary and benefits.

After 3 days, HR called to inform me that I got the job (Yay!) and scheduled me for job offer signing. After signing, I went straight to take the Medical Exams since I was still staying in Cavite and it took a lot of expenses just to get to Makati. It also didn’t take too long to finish since they only need you to take the exams and they will be the one to pass your results to the HR partner. If you have no problems with it, then expect HR to call you after a week for your 1st day of reporting to work. In my case, I got delayed for about 2 more weeks because they found minor problems with my urinalysis and I got my monthly visit (you know) so I couldn’t take it again that soon. Once the Doctor declares you’re fit to work, then you’re good to go!

August 1, 2016

First day of work! Yay! Basically, you will have a New Employee’s Orientation this day – with free breakfast, snacks, and lunch courtesy of Mcdonalds. No workload yet – relax lang muna he,he.

MEGAWORLD EMPLOYMENT REVIEW (A Fresh Grad’s First Job Perspective)

GROWTH

The company provides opportunities where you can really grow and discover your full potential. Speaking from a Fresh Grad Perspective with 0 Experience other than OJT, you will be faced with real-time challenges which you wouldn’t really know what to do at first but you will be surprised you got through it – and be called an expert on it. This is where your growth will begin. Everyday you have a diversity of tasks to get your job done – a lot of approval and comments from different people (almost all the time from the big bosses) who will give you perspective from Architectural to Engineering to Purchasing to Budgeting. No minute is boring and idle – this I promise you.

PEOPLE

The people in Contracts and Procurement Department (CPD) – where I currently am part of – are people who brings the relaxation in stress, the sunshine on the rainy days, and the joy on the sorrowful days. (For all my officemates reading my blog, lam nyo na ah. Turon lang okay na hahaha) Really, they are the most friendly, bubbly, and crazy set of workmates and I’m glad they’re part of my first job experience. Mr. Andrew L. Tan himself and the big bosses are very much approachable especially when it comes to helping you finish the task (both individual and as a group). We even got the chance to party with the President of the company last December with a special celebrity guest singer. (who is my faveeeeeeee of all singers ♥)

COMPANY ITSELF

Have you seen Megaworld townships? Have you seen the beauty of the extravagant and artistic Italian design of Venice Canal Mall, Mckinley, Taguig? Have you felt the cold breeze at Twinlakes, Tagaytay? Have you went shopping in Uptown Mall, BGC? Even before I was part of this company, I have numerous moments of losing my breath just by looking at their masterpiece townships. Eastwood City is what made me say ” Someday, I’m gonna be part of Megaworld.” and then Venice Piazza, and then Twinlakes, and then Uptown Mall – which is now our second home. When you become a part of MW family, you will feel the feels of how it started to how it has become to this day. Amazingly breathtaking, always.

BENEFITS

Megaworld is generous to its employees. There are so many – by so many, I mean SOOOO MANY – perks available to Megaworld employees and its subsidiaries; from Hotels to World-Class Food Chains to Cinemas to Properties.

PROMOTION

This I am not familiar with since I am just starting my career in the company. In our department, we are performance-based measured through KPI. This is the basis of moving up the career ladder.

That’s it! Overall, my (almost) 1 year stay in MW has been great and it has helped me grow holistically since Day 1 up to now. I know they will provide me platforms to improve myself also as long as I am there.

PS,

Thanks for all the readers of my previous blog about MW. I hope this blog answers some of your further questions and give you an idea on deciding whether to go for it or not. One thing’s for sure, you won’t regret if you do. Best of luck to all of you and I hope to see you around! ♥

It has been exactly 1 year after I graduated; 365 days after my so-called “Big Day”. It was the biggest achievement I could ever be proud of back then. Para sakin, may napatunayan na ako. Well, for all kinds of families, it was just the start.. (of hell).

You don’t know real pagod (exhaustion) until you have that monthly KPI with 95 as the passing grade but all the delays will be against you. You don’t know real stress when all the living things in your office pressure you – yes, kahit pati plants (even the plants) and the shoppaholic rat that comes after stealing your things. The transition to undergrad to working gurl real quick was a big blow for me. It was exciting but at the same time scary and frustrating. It’s true what they say, it’s more tiring to work than to study. At this state, I belong to the working class who always say ” if I can go back to studying, I will just study rather work. ” And I’m hella proud of it.

Saying this not to scare off all my yuppie readers but to be the Ate you never had who will guide you through the scary world you’re going to face after your G Day.

Take a transition vacation.When I was graduating, some of my friends who were already working kept on advising me to take 2-3 months vacation before starting corporate life. They told me it’s gonna be hard to take a vacation again once you start. I spent almost 2 months being just a palamunin in the house after I graduated. Some people were against my actions, but I’m glad I did. It will help you realize what you really want to do in your life and the time off will really make you think about your life and excited for the next chapter you’re going to have.

Apply for work but don’t stress. Apply still for work. That time off won’t require you to be always outside party-ing. There will be lots and lots of tambay days and that is when you should pass your resumes. Spend atleast 3 hrs a day just sending resumes and applying to companies online so you are still on-track. Sayang degree bes kung di mo magagamit sa corporate kahit 2 years lang.

Prioritize your interviews. You have all the time to go to the beach sunbathing or being a couch-potato managing to finish 5 episodes per day of Kdrama but if someone calls you for an interview — don’t miss it. Even if it’s not the company you’re aiming for, still go to the interview. Not only will you have the chance to gain connections from those companies, but you can also practice what and how to answer to interviews so when your desired company calls, you surely are ready to kill it.

Sleep. Sleep more than most!Trust me when I say you won’t be able to catch enough sleep when you start working — even when you try hard. Even when your future workplace is just minutes away from your house. It will not secure you a goodnight’s sleep. I didn’t get enough and still not getting enough sleep even when I just have to cross the street to get to the office. Take all the chances to sleep all day sleep all night – you will be missing it when you start working.

Keep your stand. Don’t be intimated by your colleagues posting about their 1st payday, payday treat to self, paycheck, workday, work work work status. Don’t mind them. Remember, you’re the upper hand because you’re still on your vacation mode. Take your time. Enjoy the momentum. Good things will happen, you just have to be ready when the opportunity comes.

Congratulations to all graduates of 2017. You are now officially unemployed on vacation mode. Enjoy the best of it and hoping for your success in finding your dream job in your dream company soon!

Megaworld Corporation has the fastest recruitment I ever encountered – or maybe I was processed on a Saturday so there weren’t many applicants that day. Anyways, for all the aspiring applicants who wish to land a job in Megaworld (like ME!), here’s what I have for you. 🙂

Its HR Department is in Ground Floor, The World Centre, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati. If you are coming from Cavite (specifically in Pala-pala), you can take the Bus going to Lawton, get down at Dela Rosa, take the jeep going to Bel-Air or Washington – you’d see The World Center on your right. That’s the tall-glass building with the Megaworld Logo. You’ll see a list of all the companies at the front of their building and I think Megaworld is at the top of that list.

I originally applied for Purchaser, Management Analyst, and Sales Development Officer but was offered for a position Accounts Management Specialist. It’s a good start for my career and it gave me a bigger chance to get to the company so I told the HR I could consider. He assured me that if I wasn’t accepted for the position, he would endorse me to the department which I originally applied to. So it’s a win-win situation!

Their recruitment process consists of 5 stages:

Registration/ Filling out Application Form

Once you get there, they would ask for your CV and you have to fill-out their Application Form. There is an essay part on the back so I advise you to be ready with your answers. 😉

Examinations (Paper and Pen)

Their pre-employment examination is about language, logic, and an aptitude test. You have to finish the whole exam in 15 minutes.

Initial Interview

Since the position I considered was an ASAP hiring one, I proceeded with the initial interview once they released my scores in the examinations.

These are the questions I was asked:

Tell me something about yourself.

Why did you choose to study [your course]?

Among your majors, where are you excelling?

Where are you currently residing?

With whom are you residing?

How many are you in your family?

If you would be offered a job in Megaworld, what is your standard travel time? What will be your ways of travelling (commute or by car)?

Are you willing to work in Uptown BGC?

Are you willing to work on Saturdays?

Are you willing to render overtime?

When can you start?

What are your strengths?

What are your weaknesses?

What is your expected salary?

Would you like to ask me anything?

Second Interview

I was directed to their office at the 28th floor for the second interview. The ambience was very different from the office at the ground floor. That’s where my fear kicked in – heh, but I stayed as calm as I could so I wouldn’t stutter in my interview. My interviewer was the HR of their Accounting Department and she asked the following questions:

Tell me something about yourself

You are originally applying for Purchaser, Management Analyst, and Sales Development Officer. Why the sudden change? ( Well, I just had to be honest on this and told her I was just endorsed to apply for the position)

You wrote P15,000 for your expected salary, why is that? Why not P14,000, why not P16,000?

Where did you get your data (for the salary)?

Tell me something about your OJT

What can you contribute to the company?

Why should we hire you?

My interviewer was quite intimidating because she kept on “mmm-ing” (in a doubting manner) whenever I answered her questions but I kept composed and just got through the interview. Not me, interviewer, not me. :3

Final Interview

PS. It’s less than a week after my second interview with them (JobStreet said it has an average of 2 weeks of processing time) and I am waiting for a call for my final interview. All hopes for Megaworld! 🙂

After graduation, all of us are expected to be applying to different companies whether online or old school style of walking-in, participating to interviews, and finally landing on that first job. My parents gave me pressure everyday just to force me to find a job. They didn’t support my luho anymore. Maybe they actually planned to make me feel broke so I would get on my feet to apply for jobs – well, they did it alright!

So, there I was – from fresh graduate to unemployed to job seeker real quick!

Accenture, Inc.

My first interview was with this company. They texted me for a recruitment process for the position Associate Software Engineer (ASE) which is clearly for the IT-grads so I asked for an open position for Business Administration-grads and they told me to apply for Project Management Officer (PMO) instead. Their recruitment hub is in 3rd Flr, Robinsons Forum Mall, Pioneer St., corner EDSA. If you’re coming from Cavite, you just have to take the bus going to Cubao or Ortigas then it will take you directly to one of Robinson’s Forum entrances.

Accenture is a big company and they hire in volumes so you should expect their recruitment hub to be always full of applicants. Also, expect that it may take a day or two to be done with – it took 3 days for me!

Their recruitment process consists of 4 parts:

Registration

Online Examination

Language Assessment (for Info tech office positions), and

HR Interview

In my experience, I was scheduled at 11am for the recruitment process which I thought was already the HR Interview but it wasn’t. I was there at 10:30am because everyone advices everyone to be there at least 30 minutes before the appointment.

Here’s what happened:

Day 1

12:30pm

It took me 1hour and 30 minutes just to get the security ID. The place was full of applicants, as expected so it took some time just to get the ID.

After getting the ID, that’s when I was allowed to go to the reception area for my application to be processed. I was asked to wait there for my name to be called for me to register on their system so as to record my scores in the exams.

3:00pm

My name was called to register in their systems which I thought was already the online examinations. Nah, it was just pure personal information like I was inputting the information that was already on my CV.

4:00pm

I was told that my online examinations would be at 5pm and was asked to just get back before the time. Since I was going alone home – my first time to go alone from Pioneer going back to Cavite, I decided to just reschedule my examinations the next day. Also, I felt like my brain wasn’t functioning very well for the tough waiting, severe starvation, and exhaustion so it’s best for me to take it the next day.

I overheard someone scheduled for 8pm interview. Poor kid.

Day 2

9:00am

I went there as early as I can so I could finish the whole process that day. Also, I’m a morning person so I was very confident I could ace the online examination on that condition. I was hoping to get to the company so I prepared as much as I could.

Yep, same drill – getting the security ID. It was still early so there were few applicants in the hub so I was able to get my security ID with ease.

9:10am

I approached the reception area and told them that I was rescheduled for the online examinations that day and my name was called after 10 minutes.

It took me 2 hours to finish the test. The test consisted of reading, business writing, and basic MS Excel drills.

Every question is timed and you cannot go back to change your answer so better think quick and use your time well.

1:00pm

Name was called and the recruitment officer told me that I passed the test and I would just be scheduled for the HR Interview. Sigh, and I thought I would finish the whole process that day.

They texted me at 6pm that day for my HR Interview schedule – which was the day after. Yep, I know. I wish they would’ve just told me then back at the hub. Well, it would be the last step anyway!

Day 3

12:00pm

I was scheduled at 2pm and I arrived this early because there was nothing to do and nowhere to go so I decided to just stay there and hoped that it would be done earlier.

3:00pm

Finally, my name was called!

These were the questions that I was asked:

Tell us something about yourself

Why did you choose to study [your course]?

Tell me something about your internship

Why do you want to work at Accenture?

What do you know about Accenture?

Do you know anyone who works for Accenture?

What are your strengths?

What are your weaknesses?

How much salary do you expect?

What is your minimum/maximum salary?

Are you willing to work in Cubao or Eastwood?

Would you like to ask us anything?

For the last question, I asked about the shifting hours, the job description, salary and benefits, if it was possible to be assigned in BGC or Mckinley only because I would be coming from Cavite and it would be too hard for me to travel, and also if she had questions about my CV.

PS. I didn’t get the job in Accenture because there was no slot in BGC or Mckinley. It’s fine, it just means that there is a better plan for me. 😉 If you undergone the recruitment process in Accenture, tell me your story! For those who are planning to apply in Accenture, hope this helps and you get the job!